Majesty Demos...then and now

[ytserush]

Does anyone else absolutely love "Particle E. Motion"?

It's a nice little interlude.


Better than say Gons Sdrawkcab

[Konrad]

Where can i find The Majesty Demos?

[425]

https://ytsejamrecords.com

A lot of other cool official releases there, too.

Although it actually looks like they're out of stock of The Majesty Demos. That would be the only official place to get them, so you'll have to find them second-hand somewhere.

[Konrad]

What? Are you serious about PAYING FOR MUSIC?
kidding,
I'll wait, then. Is it worth it?

[Prog Snob]

Yes

[425]

I don't have them, so someone else will have to answer that. However, I would say it's questionable whether they will be back in stock. See, Ytse Jam Records was really Mike Portnoy's thing, and while you can still buy what they have in stock, I would not expect the ones that are "out of stock" to show up again soon. Then again, I could be wrong. I don't know. If you decide you really have to have them, you'll probably have to buy them secondhand on eBay or another site.

Oh, and just a word of advice: the moderators on this site take discussion of piracy pretty seriously. In my non-moderator judgement, your post is right on the borderline with regards to that rule. I would advise you to be careful in the future with that topic.

[Konrad]

Yes

Did you buy it from Ytsejamrecords?

I don't have them, so someone else will have to answer that. However, I would say it's questionable whether they will be back in stock. See, Ytse Jam Records was really Mike Portnoy's thing, and while you can still buy what they have in stock, I would not expect the ones that are "out of stock" to show up again soon. Then again, I could be wrong. I don't know. If you decide you really have to have them, you'll probably have to buy them secondhand on eBay or another site.

Oh, and just a word of advice: the moderators on this site take discussion of piracy pretty seriously. In my non-moderator judgement, your post is right on the borderline with regards to that rule. I would advise you to be careful in the future with that topic.

Oh, that's sad... I really wish they get back in stock. Buying second hand don't have the same feel, heheh.
Thank's for the advice

[Prog Snob]

Yes

Did you buy it from Ytsejamrecords?

Yes - back when it first came out.

[Konrad]

Yes - back when it first came out.

That's awesome.
Do you think it will be restocked? 

[Prog Snob]

Yes - back when it first came out.

That's awesome.
Do you think it will be restocked?

I could have sworn I heard that the inventory would be restocked but don't quote me on it.  Someone else might be able to answer that question better.

[Konrad]

Well, i'll try to contact ytsejamrecordsm meanwhile. Let's see how it goes.

[As I Am]

But to dismiss the Majesty demos or WDaDU just because you don't like them strikes me as impertinent.

Nah.

Uh, yeah. It's just as ridiculous as if Blob were to claim that Awake wasn't a DT album, or half of this forum who doesn't like Systematic Chaos were to say that it isn't a DT album.

Completely different. You're diverting.
The Majesty demos weren't even released on a real album, were written before they were even Dream Theater, and not even the same lineup as any official album. I've only heard them once or twice, because to me it's not Dream Theater, and it's very reasonable to dismiss those entirely. They didn't even make WDADU.

Actually, I think you're the one diverting. You can discount them all you want, but while it's true that the Majesty demos were not a "real album", they *were* released to the public when they had those cassettes made and sold.

That they were under the name Majesty as opposed to Dream Theater is simply because of a name change. Had there not been a band named Majesty, it's quite possible the band we know and love as DT would still be known as Majesty today. It was not as if some of the guys left Majesty, formed another band called Dream Theater and then the other guys joined up with them.

And saying that it's not the same lineup is incorrect reasoning. If that was the case, then the same could be said for when any of the other lineup changes happened. The fact is, the core group that made DT what it was, was on those recordings, just as they have been on subsequent releases.

Add to that the fact that two of those songs were played by later lineups (3, if you include the instrumental half of March of the Tyrant) and even on the 20th anniversary T-shirt and poster, the Majesty songs were listed alongside all the ones on their albums, signifying that they are part of their discography. So while the band may admittedly decide not to play those songs any longer (or at least on super rare occasions), that does not mean they are not part of their back catalog.

WDADU is a different story, since it was Dream Theater, and was released on a studio album. But the fact it was released on a tiny nothing label, wasn't promoted, didn't sell at the time, sounds worse than a demo tape, and isn't the same singer/lineup as future releases means I can see good reason to dismiss that in the spirit of basically a "demo" too. Sure, it is indisputably technically the first DT album, but many would like to forget that it was.

Blob, just because you and some others would like to forget that WDaDU exists doesn't mean anything, any more than someone wishing something else didn't exist - as I said before, I doubt you'd argue that Awake wasn't a DT album just because you don't like it. Just because the sound quality isn't up to standards, just because Charlie is the vocalist on it, just because it came out on Mechanic doesn't mean anything - some could say the same thing about any of their albums (Images and Words has the triggered snare and sounds dated, Jordan's not on the earlier albums, Portnoy's not on the latest albums, etc.) The fact of the matter is, WDaDU is their first official album. So dismissing it as if it didn't exist is ridiculous.

And let's not forget that the current lineup featured 2 different songs from it on their last tour. So it must mean something to the guys to include those songs in the setlist, or else they wouldn't have bothered.

AS ALWAYS, setlist Scotty is the voice of reason and sense!

[Rodni Demental]

Does anyone else absolutely love "Particle E. Motion"?

Yes! It's great, really shows some promise, too bad it's too short. Also, The Saurus sounds really cool aswell, it's probably just screwing around with tracking and guitar effects but I like it  .

I also quite like The Scholl Song, I have no idea what it is but it's got some cool grooves and riffs.

Also.. As far as my $0.02 goes on the Majesty song discussion. Honestly, I feel that the name change doesn't separate the songs enough from Dream Theater unless you're deliberately compartmentalising their creative material into categories, fact is it was written by the same individuals that contribute to what is now known as 'Dream Theater'. It was also part of the their musical growth. I get the whole Images and Words feels like their first album thing, but to me Images and Words also feels like a really refined version of the 'amateurish' songwriting and composition that is represented in the Ytejam / WDaDU era, and that's by no means a negative statement. It represents a moment in time captured in the form of music. I mean, their composition isn't exactly like the I&W days anymore. To the point where I'd say something like Black Clouds or even Falling into Infinity feels further from I&W than a lot of the Majesty materiel.

I guess it can be subject to some different perspectives but to me those demos are as much a part of the progression as their latest studio release, and their inclusion in the official DT bootlegs solidifies that idea enough for me.

Even the individual's solo work has ties to Dream Theater in a derivative sort of way in that it contains an element or component of something that stems from DT as a creative mechanism. Well, more correctly those individuals are also the mechanism that DT stems from so.. Majesty, Dream Theater, Potato, potarto.

[SystematicThought]

While I completely understand the importance and significance of the Majesty Demos, I just can't listen to them.  Any of them.  The songwriting is so amateurish that I can't take the songs seriously.

I view them as the growing pains that the band had to go through to become what they are now.  But I completely understand why none of the band members like playing those songs.

I agree with the exception of Another Won. I think that one sounds tight and pretty cohesive

[Rodni Demental]

I have a question for you regarding Another Won. Is it possible that you might think this because you've already heard a tight and cohesive version of it? I mean, first listen on the Majesty demos even that song could sound pretty muffled and the nature of these sorta demos tends to lend towards multiple listens to grow (which is surely true for Another Won and is a process I'm sure we're familiar with as DT listeners).

It's hard to say, but I rekon some of the other songs presented in a more 'cohesive' form would become quite the musical gems (although tbh I think they pretty much are already ).

[ReaPsTA]

I heard the Majesty Demo version of Another Won before the Score version.  I was just hoping the score version would live up.  Fortunately it did.

Unfortunately, the problem with the Majesty Demos is the same as WDADU - the vocals.

[Prog Snob]

I certainly don't feel everyone's complete negative sentiments regarding the Majesty Demos. While they aren't Dream Theater's magnum opus, there is plenty of good to them. The vocals definitely do not help but looking past that, they're not terrible.  I can think of much worse things to listen to.  Another Won is a great song and can rival some of the FII-era music. A Vision is a great melodic song that gets ruined by Chris Collins' horrible vocal phrasing and the same goes for Two Far in which the intro guitar is definitely JP's Yngwie influence showing. 

For the most part the songs have not been played live in a long time, except for: Another Won being played throughout the 8V tour, Your Majesty being played in France in 2002, and the outro of MotT being used during the Music in Progress tour.  Withholding those incidences, the songs haven't seen light of day since the 1980s. I can understand why considering how much great music they have made since then. With MP out of the band I doubt we'll ever see another surprise with one of the songs snuck in somewhere.

[Madman Shepherd]

I don't have them, so someone else will have to answer that. However, I would say it's questionable whether they will be back in stock. See, Ytse Jam Records was really Mike Portnoy's thing, and while you can still buy what they have in stock, I would not expect the ones that are "out of stock" to show up again soon. Then again, I could be wrong.

You are wrong.  There have been several different confirmations that all current stocks will be replenished.  In fact, there have been a few things that have been restocked since MP left.  MP may have put them together but JP handled most of the business stuff. 

[son_ov_hades]

I love The Majesty Demos, total teenage Rush worship. These songs are better than the most of Train of Thought and Black Clouds And Silver Linings. I wish they'd play more of them live, Another Won is one of the highlights of Score.

[bosk1]

With MP out of the band I doubt we'll ever see another surprise with one of the songs snuck in somewhere.

I wouldn't be so sure.  While it is true that the band may not hold those songs in very high esteem and may have taken a position in the past that it would be unlikely that they would ever be played, I can tell you that John takes what DT fans want very seriously, and he seems willing to change his mind about playing certain things if there is a good reason to do so.  I'm not saying it will happen, but I am saying that people shouldn't write off the possibility.

[Prog Snob]

With MP out of the band I doubt we'll ever see another surprise with one of the songs snuck in somewhere.

I wouldn't be so sure.  While it is true that the band may not hold those songs in very high esteem and may have taken a position in the past that it would be unlikely that they would ever be played, I can tell you that John what DT fans want very seriously, he seems willing to change his mind about playing certain things if there is a good reason to do so.  I'm not saying it will happen, but I am saying that people shouldn't write off the possibility.

Well that's somewhat ressuring.     I would love to see March of the Tyrant with the current lineup and with some of those vocal lines rephrased. Chris Collins was not that great in that department.

[bosk1]

Just went back and corrected some typos, but it seems like you understood what I was trying to say.

[Prog Snob]

Just went back and corrected some typos, but it seems like you understood what I was trying to say.

[Konrad]

Damn... 

[rickhawk80]

Haven't listened to the Majesty demos in eons ..... but seeing this thread compels me to go give them another listen.  I don't remember them making me want to listen repeatedly back when I first listened to them, but I'll give them another shot .....